After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 20

Ming Sian had just been pulled down to sit when a dark shadow stood before her.

“Ah Xing, she is my person.”

The moment He Yining spoke, the people in the booth felt as if they had been placed in an icy field. Everyone knew that this Eldest Miss was consistently cold toward people and matters, yet today she actually spoke up to claim Ming Sian as her own.

Gu Xing was dismissive. “Ning Ning, she’s just an Alpha. Why not just give her to me?”

She didn’t think He Yining would refuse her over a mere Alpha. She had always found it easy to get what she wanted; as long as she beckoned with a finger, plenty of Alphas would take the bait. The few who didn’t would still kneel obediently before her once they knew her identity.

Just like Ming Sian—stubborn and resilient one second, yet enduring and restrained the next, allowing Gu Xing to do as she pleased.

Furthermore, she and He Yining had known each other for years, and their families collaborated extensively. There was no need to cause a rift over an Alpha. Thus, she felt the other would surely yield.

To her surprise, He Yining showed no intention of backing down.

Ming Sian smiled inwardly. Are these two socialites fighting over me like I’m an object?

Feeling she had lost face, Gu Xing’s expression darkened for a moment before she flashed a smile again. “Ning Ning, during the year you were abroad, we were the ones managing the bar. Even if there’s no credit, there’s at least the hard work. It’s not worth it for a server.”

As if finding Gu Xing’s words reasonable, He Yining turned and sat down at the round table. She tapped the tabletop, and Ali hurried to select a wine to pour for her.

Huo Qi followed suit and sat beside her, and the other two shareholders sat down as well.

The general manager, Chen Feilan, was stuck in a dilemma. She was just an employee; no matter which side she chose, it wouldn’t work. She could only stand to the side, signaling that as long as all the shareholders hadn’t finished taking their seats, a worker like her was better off standing.

The smile on Gu Xing’s face froze. Inwardly, she wanted to slap herself—who gave her the courage to compete with He Yining? Perhaps the Gu family’s strong growth in recent years had given her the illusion that they could rival the He family.

In fact, none of the families present could afford to leave the He family. Making the He family an enemy was an unwise move; a lawyer from the He clan was someone who could save your life.

Gu Xing abandoned Ming Sian, walked to the round table, and sat down with a laugh. “The five of us haven’t gathered like this in a long time, right, Ah Xin, Nuo Nuo?”

The five were childhood friends who separated for university. He Yining studied at Hong Kong University, while Huo Qi went abroad for a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree.

Gu Xing and Zheng Jiaxin also went abroad after high school, but their university was different from Huo Qi’s. Huo Qi got into a top-ten world-ranked university on her own merit, whereas these two returned to join their family businesses after finishing their undergraduate degrees.

Yu Nuo studied in the Mainland and returned to Hong Kong for her master’s. She had now entered the Civil Service Bureau. This shareholder meeting was called specifically because she wanted to withdraw her shares.

Yu Nuo was the first to state her position. “Today’s occasion is not suitable for outsiders to be present.”

She didn’t say much else. With so many people arranged in the booth, she was already in a bad mood. They had agreed to discuss the shares, yet so many “fancy and useless” people had been brought in.

Due to her academic background, she was assigned a good position upon entering the legal and administrative departments. It was easy to produce results, she was close to the leadership, and it was easy to get promoted. According to her family, she could hold a senior administrative position before the age of thirty.

Until then, everything had to be cautious. The bar she co-opened with friends as a child had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Zheng Jiaxin smiled to smooth things over. “Feilan, have them all leave. They can come back in later.”

He Yining sat directly at the round table, signaling that they should talk business first. Huo Qi followed her lead in everything, so she was the first to respond. Yu Nuo had her own plans, so she naturally sat down as well.

Zheng Jiaxin was someone who tried not to offend anyone. If forced to choose, she would definitely pick He Yining over Gu Xing—whose family was also in business, competed with hers, and had potential conflicts.

The five sat at the round table. Under Chen Feilan’s orders, everyone else left the booth, but they weren’t allowed to go far in case they were needed.

As Chen Feilan was about to return to the booth, she suddenly looked at Ming Sian. “You, wait right outside the door.”

How could the culprit who caused the confrontation inside be allowed to leave so easily?

Ming Sian was speechless. Her plan to be a “bad woman” was stopped before it even started. But thinking that being a “bad woman” might lead to being taken advantage of… perhaps the path of the “bad woman” didn’t suit her?

Cheng Cheng walked to her side. “What now?”

After such a scene, Ming Sian might not be able to keep her part-time job.

Ming Sian thought for a moment. “Let’s wait a bit. If I can’t stay, I’ll resign.”

She was working hard to develop her side hustles. If the bar didn’t work, she still had her writing career. Worst case, she had a book from her previous life that had already been market-proven; if she brought it to this world, the results probably wouldn’t be bad.

If all else failed, she’d just find another part-time job, though the salary might not be as high as The Royal’s.

Cheng Cheng frowned. “These socialites are so annoying, seeking fun at the expense of us workers.”

Ming Sian’s thoughts, however, were on the booth. Recalling He Yining’s look just now, her heart felt strangely flustered—a ridiculous feeling of being “caught cheating.” But wasn’t this exactly what she had intended to show her?

Inside the booth, He Yining took out the contracts she had prepared long ago. Yu Nuo had decided to sell her shares, and no one else wanted to take them over. It wasn’t that The Royal wasn’t profitable, but compared to the other projects in their hands, the money earned here was truly negligible.

Years ago, they had pooled their pocket money and hired a professional manager, Chen Feilan, to open the bar so they would have a place for Omegas to play without being harassed by idiots.

While studying, they received decent dividends every quarter, which was a good thing for them. But after graduation, they all had their own jobs and realized The Royal actually earned very little—what it earned in a year was less than a single project at their family firms. Over time, they lost interest.

Furthermore, in recent years, people often caused trouble at The Royal. If Chen Feilan couldn’t handle it, she still had to find them.

For example, if an Alpha harassed an Omega and that Alpha had a background? If they still followed the bar’s rules, they would offend many people.

The Royal’s rules were established to protect Omegas. If the bar abolished these rules and became like other major bars in Hong Kong, it would surely make more money.

Zheng Jiaxin suggested, “Although The Royal isn’t losing money, profits have dropped significantly in the past two years. We need to change the business philosophy.”

Chen Feilan proactively stepped forward to admit fault. “It’s my poor management.”

“Sister Lan, sit down.” Huo Qi signaled that it had nothing to do with her. “In its first year, The Royal earned back our investment. The profits from the second year to today, minus costs, are pure profit. Although it’s not much compared to everyone’s assets, you can’t say it’s failing.”

“As for changing the philosophy, The Royal’s philosophy is very advanced. I wonder what kind of change Jiaxin has in mind?”

Zheng Jiaxin gave a dry laugh. “No, I was just saying.”

These words made Gu Xing clear her throat. “I actually think Ah Xin is right. Although the bar is still profitable, the profit last year was one-fifth less than the year before. One-fifth is too much; instead of growth, there’s a decline. Of course there’s a problem with the philosophy.”

“Nuo Nuo, what do you say?”

Gu Xing looked at Yu Nuo, wanting her to take a side.

Yu Nuo frowned. “I’m withdrawing my shares. You guys decide on the bar matters.”

They had founded The Royal together in their youth, determined to give Omegas a safe place to play. In just a few years, someone already wanted to deny their original intent.

Huo Qi frowned. “I oppose changing the business philosophy.”

“Ning Ning, what do you say?” Gu Xing asked He Yining, wanting to know her stance.

The group had always looked to He Yining as their leader. The Yu family was in politics, the Gu and Zheng families were in business. Huo Qi’s family had started with her mother, who was a professor at Hong Kong University’s Law School and a senior partner at the He family’s core law firm.

Starting with no background and becoming a core member of the He clan, her mother was one of Hong Kong’s top lawyers, a PCLL tutor, and worked as an arbitrator and mediator with many honors. Even the Gu and Zheng families didn’t want to offend her unless absolutely necessary.

Furthermore, Huo Qi had grown up with He Yining; the two would surely support each other.

Gu Xing was unwilling to give up and wanted to ask further. The Royal wasn’t important; what was important was that she wanted to turn it into a social venue for the elite. If the rules were so heavy that nothing was allowed, the bar wasn’t worth her effort.

A bar—if one is gone, another can be acquired. The Royal was decent, but looking at all of Hong Kong, it was at most in the top ten.

Listening to them voice their opinions, He Yining toyed with her wine glass and spoke slowly. “The bar’s philosophy remains unchanged. The shareholders, however, can change.”

Her meaning was clear: if you want to change the philosophy, then change the shareholders.

Yu Nuo already intended to leave, and Huo Qi followed He Yining in everything. The question was, who would withdraw?

It was always a bit melancholy when childhood playmates reached this point.

Zheng Jiaxin was the first to speak. “It’s just a bar. It was just something we played with as kids. If no one wants to manage it, just keep the status quo.”

Although she didn’t like the philosophy, she didn’t want to become distant from He Yining over such a small matter. They were childhood friends; even if the current feelings weren’t as pure as before—to be precise, the reason her family arranged for her to associate with them wasn’t pure to begin with—even purely from an interest perspective, there was no need to clash with He Yining.

The Royal’s income was okay, but it caused trouble often. They even called the police a few days ago. Although they weren’t afraid, having such things happen several times a month turned customer-on-customer issues into bar-on-customer issues, which didn’t fit the business philosophy she had learned.

But compared to maintaining her relationship with He Yining, these matters seemed like nothing.

Zheng Jiaxin looked at Gu Xing, wanting a definitive answer. This scene today was brought up by Yu Nuo, and Gu Xing wanted to take the chance to turn The Royal into a hunting ground for Hong Kong’s wealthy.

She had long known He Yining wouldn’t agree. Her promise to speak for Gu Xing went only this far.

Gu Xing gave a dry laugh. “Ning Ning, the bar is our collective effort. For the good of the bar, we can’t remain stagnant.”

“Is this still because of that Alpha earlier? She’s just an Alpha. Don’t let her affect our friendship. If you want her, she’s yours. Our relationship is what matters most.”

To some, these words might have sounded fine, but to He Yining, they felt inexplicably disgusting. She could treat Ming Sian as an object, a pet, or anything else—but others? No!

He Yining stared at Gu Xing for a long time. Finally, she placed her red wine glass on the table. The sound of the glass base hitting the glass tabletop made everyone focus their gaze on her.

“I will prepare the money. I will manage the bar alone from now on.”

Since they couldn’t reach an agreement, then everyone else was out.

Gu Xing and the others hadn’t expected her to make such a decision. When they met her cold gaze, none of them dared to argue. Facing He Yining as a childhood friend, what could they say? Facing He Yining as a professional, who dared say more?

However… was He Yining unhappy about her friends’ changes and the attempt to change the philosophy, or was it because Gu Xing had objectified Ming Sian?

Others thought it was the former, but Huo Qi believed it was both—which was why He Yining was being so cold and unyielding.

[Author’s Note]

Ming Sian: Wow, my wife is angry. I’m so happy.

He Yining: Then you’re finished.